President Donald Trump announced Friday that 50% tariffs would be removed on nine categories of Canadian agricultural and forestry products, a move Maine Sen. Susan Collins says will bring relief to the state's blueberry, potato, apple and seaweed producers. The exemptions arrive as Collins fights for her political survival against Democrat Troy Jackson in one of the most closely watched Senate races in the country.
What's Being Exempted
According to Reuters, the order removes 50% tariffs on some Canadian agricultural and forestry products. The product groups covered include cardboard boxes, plastic boxes and crates, plastic packing bags, cooling equipment, agricultural machinery used for cleaning, sorting and grading, packaging machinery, non-adhesive plates, foil and strip, and seaweed and algae products, per the Portland Press Herald. CNBC reports that the exemptions apply to tariffs on nine product categories in total.
Collins said she secured the changes after what the same Press Herald report described as “repeated conversations” with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. In a statement reported by CNBC, Collins said, “Many of our farmers and growers rely on specialized equipment, packaging materials, and other products from Canada that are either unavailable from American suppliers or cannot be replaced without incurring significant expense.”
Why Maine's Farmers Needed This
The stakes for Maine are considerable. Two-way trade between the state and Canada was worth more than $6 billion annually before the tariffs took hold, the Press Herald's report notes. Canada is described by the Maine International Trade Center as the state's largest trade and investment partner, with Maine exporting $1.3 billion in products north of the border last year. The trade center also notes that Maine's natural resource-based industries — potatoes, blueberries, lobster and forest products — are deeply intertwined with Canadian supply chains.
As NBC News has reported, the affected Canadian products became subject to the duties after Canada withdrew from trade negotiations with the Trump administration in late August. Reuters reported that Trump imposed the 50% tariffs on $20 billion of Canadian imports in August.
New Targets Replace Old Ones
The relief comes with a catch. Bloomberg's Canadian affiliate BNN Bloomberg reports that the White House said certain valves, carpets and waste products would be tariffed instead, with those changes set to take effect at the end of the month. Politico reported that the overall amount of tariffs on Canadian goods is expected to remain unchanged because the duties will simply shift to roughly 100 new product categories, including cocoa powder, shampoos, carpets, canoes and wooden coffins.
Collins has said she will keep pushing for additional tariff relief and for a broader trade agreement with Canada, according to NBC News.
The Political Backdrop
The timing is impossible to separate from Maine's Senate contest. The New York Times reports that Collins and Jackson have been deadlocked in recent polls ahead of the November 3 election. Reuters similarly reported that Republicans will likely need to win in Maine and Michigan to hold the Senate, adding that GOP candidates in border states hit hardest by the tariffs are trying to balance loyalty to Trump's base with the concerns of independent voters hurt by the trade war.
Collins is a Republican senator facing a reelection battle in Maine, and NBC News reports that Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers, campaigning in a similarly tariff-exposed Michigan race, told the outlet he wanted the trade war with Canada wrapped up. NBC News also reports that the United States has imposed two waves of tariffs on Canada, with the second wave including the 50% duties now partially being unwound.
